second hand fake fur, second hand shoes
Everyone has an opinion about fur – but is that the onæy material we should be critical about?
The fur industry has been a big topic of discussion and bashing for many years and environmental activists have thrown red paint at people wearing fur and called them murderers.
I get the idea of the fact that fur equals death for one or more living creatures; the fur is such a strong sign of human using natural ressources for our own good, but if the wearing of others’ skins is a bad thing, I’ll let be up to the individual.. Because I’ve become interested in something else.. Everyone has an opinion about you, your morals and your outfit, if you wear fur, but something we forgot to think about is that there are other materials that are also destroying the environment, which we’re completely indifferent about.
second hand denim jacket, second hand dress
A material which is just as trendy as fur and also damaging nature quite a bit, is one of the cornerstones of fashion: denim. A focus of recycling denim has become more and more popular and rinsing the water used in denim production has also gotten more common over the past couple of years, but the fact that denim also kills cannot be overlooked.
Even though the standards for the rinsing of the water used in denim production have been elevated, water full of chemicals are still coming out of the dyeing mills, killing the life in rivers and making the water unusable for the people living by the rivers. Now, I don’t know loads about the chemical processes in demin production(if you’re interested in reading about pollution of rivers in denim production read the articles HERE og HERE), but what I really want to talk about is: why aren’t the environmental activists trowing red paint on the people wearing denim?
Has the critical awareness of what were wearing stopped at fur? And are we also uncritical of how that leather biker jackets and that cool suede skirt are produced? Why isn’t it just as important to consider where all the other materials come from? Denim is by no means the only material besides animal products, which could be produced in a more ethical and environmentally friendly way. But denim is definitely an example of a material at the equal terms with fur, when it comes to the critical awareness we should have about what we wear.
feather jacket made from feathers that are byproduct of turkey meat production, second hand skirt
It occurred to me that I always ask which kind of leather, feathers and fur they use, if it’s in the collection, where it’s from and what their politics are about leather, fur and feathers, when I discuss with brands on collaborations. And usually they do consider how it’s made, when we talk about these materials, and that most brands don’t use fur unless it’s a byproduct of meat production… But I seldomly ask how they produce their cotton, wool or polyester, and how they dye their denim, and when I do, the answers are seldomly very informative.
Have we simply closed our eyes for the question of where our clothes and shoes are produced unless we talk of fur?
After having considered the double standards that are very much present in our opinion of the material we wear, I feel a need to ask where my clothes are made, by whom it’s made and how it effects the environment, if it’s not second hand.
second hand suede jacket, second hand leather bag, Weekday jeans, Zara leather boots
I just sent an e-mail to my pr-contact at Weekday to ask how they dye their denim and how their cotton is produced. Then I can, knowing about what I’m actually buying into, go get these formidable flare jeans on the photo above, when they hit stores in summer.
I have no intentions to be reproachful with this post, but I want to ask the question of us considering what we wear – if we even do it – when we buy it. And not at least I want to hear your thoughts – what do you think?